YOUNGSTERS in Bishop Auckland have been given nearly £30,000 in funding to help get the best out of the town’s castle.

Investing in Children has received £28,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project entitled The Heritage Hunters: Exploring ideas in children in the North-East.

The project will see young people in and around the town play a major role in working with staff from Auckland Castle to explore ideas of how to get people of a similar age and families interested in the heritage site.

The first part of the project will see young people learn about the castle in order to become tour guides for visitors.

They have already been discussing ideas about how to encourage children and families using activities, with family fun days, sports events, cooking events and an art competition during the summer holidays.

At the end of the project, those involved will record their experiences and share them with the community.

Philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer paid £15m to secure the future of Auckland Castle and its Zurbaran paintings in 2012.

The Auckland Castle Trust has been using initial funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to start the project, which will see the castle turned into a major heritage site.

The project will see the restoration of the castle’s state rooms and chapel and the re-modelling and extension of the Scotland Wing and other parts of the site to ensure it is capable of sustaining two permanent exhibitions of international stature, and to provide facilities for visitors.

Felicity Shenton, strategic director of Investing in Children, said: “This is such an exciting project. We have been working with a group of young people from the local area as well as members of the Polish community.

“They have lots of ideas about how to make the castle more interesting and accessible to children and families.

“They will become trained tour guides, run competitions and organise family days. It is great news for the young people and great news for the local area.”

Ivor Crowther, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “This is an excellent project for the young people. As well as the vast collection of skills they will develop, this in-depth look at the castle and its place within their local history will help inspire them to explore their heritage for many years to come and ensure the castle is accessible as possible for the public.

“Auckland Castle is a magnificent part of the North-East’s landscape, and this project, led by the enthusiasm of the young people involved, will help raise its profile and open it up to more people than ever.”